Death Asked Nicely
by Scioneeris
Summary: EWE? / AU. CreatureFic. Harry still has the Elder Wand and he's made a deal with Death and is now setting out to enjoy life after Voldemort, while fulfilling his half of the bargain. He's also collecting all the lovers he's had to hide over the years. It's a surprising bunch. Features Dom!Bisexual!Harry SLASH/HET parings
1. Saying Goodbye

**Summary:**

AU and EWE? when Harry, still in possession of the Elder Wand, has made a deal with Death and is now setting about his business and life after Voldemort. He's also collecting all the lovers he's had to hide over the years. It's a surprising bunch. Dom!Harry SLASH/HET parings

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**Pairings:**

Harry Potter x Harry's Lovers(multiple)

**Disclaimer:**

I do not own any Harry Potter anything. That belongs to J.K. Rowling. I just like playing with Harry in my own little world of storyville. I make no money by writing this fanfiction. All original characters are my own.

**Rating:**

M – Not suitable for children or teens below the age of 16, just to be safe.

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**WARNINGS: **Slash. Fluff. Romance. OC's. OOCness. AU. Other warnings will be added as I see fit.

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The survivors quieted as Mrs. Weasley tapped enthusiastically on her unbreakably charmed wine glass to garner everyone's attention. The victory banquet was a success, even if things were still a mess and would take a long time to clean up.

They were alive and that was all that mattered during such times. She beamed proudly at her redheaded brood, all of them strong—scarred—but strong enough to make it through the war, relatively unscathed. She wasn't going to think about Percy's scars, Bill's werewolf tendencies, Charlie's grey hairs or George's missing ear. No, she was going to focus on that wonderful, brilliant boy who had been their pillar of hope and symbol of the fight.

"Quiet, quiet!" she called, waiting as the final chatter died down. "Harry, dear, would you like to speak now?"

"Now's fine, Aunty Molly," Harry said, warmly. "Thank you."

A smattering of applause went around the magically enlarged table as Harry gracefully rose to his feet. He touched his wand hand to his throat—the Elder Wand carefully hidden beneath his jumper sleeve—and cast a sonorous so he would be heard clearly across the giant tent.

"First of all, I would like to thank you—all of you," he began. "For your assistance. Your heart, your courage, your magic—for taking a stand against a monster that would have destroyed everything that we hold dear." He took a deep breath. "It has been many years, many battles and that is why, I will not keep you from the first peaceable meal we have had in a while."

A wave of laughter rippled through the captive audience.

Harry cracked a smile. "But I am glad to see your faces and I will always remember you and your stories." An air of maturity had settled over him as he spoke, somehow causing him to appear several years older than what his actual age would appear. Battling against pure evil using a wand crafted by Death, could do that to a person, it seemed.

Ron grinned proudly and Hermione shared a smile with him, their hands joined beneath the table. They were proud of him and relieved to have the battle over with too.

"That said, I don't want to overshadow the day. This is everyone's day and I want everyone to enjoy it, so please—go out with your families, your friends, your lovers—whoever you have in your life that you _treasure_ and celebrate. There's a lot of work ahead, but together—you'll do just fine."

Hermione's brow wrinkled as she gave a small frown. Something about Harry's phrasing was beginning to bother her.

"It's been a long, thankless war," Harry's vivid forest-green eyes glittered in the afternoon light. "I'm tired-"

Hermione's hand flew to her mouth and she popped up from her chair. "Harry, no-!" She started to say, awkwardly jerking Ron up with her, where their hands were joined.

But it was almost as if he'd expected her protest, because he turned to her with a smile that perfect and bittersweet. "You will always be my friend, Hermione," he said, warmly. "And you'll always be my best mate, Ron."

Ron blinked, looking between Harry and Hermione, before he nodded, a touch uncertain. It looked as if whatever he was about to say was stuck in his throat and he didn't know how to get it out.

"But I'm tired. Very tired. I need some time alone—maybe for a very long time. I want to ask you all to please just—let me go. Don't try to find me. Don't try to come with me—you have lives, needs, wants and dreams of your own. I have some of mine to fulfill. Maybe if you make a habit in vacationing in the same spot every year or something, our paths will cross sooner than later."

Mrs. Weasley's eyes brimmed with tears. "Surely you'll visit, Harry-dear?" She asked, her voice cracking. It seemed that she was just barely holding herself together. Harry was practically one of her own.

Harry's smile held that strange, sad quality that had often been reflected in his eyes when he quoted his favorite line—'sometimes good people have to do bad things, because there's no one else to do it.'

"I'll try," he said, just for her. "Take care."

He canceled the sonorous charm and his hand dropped back to his side. He smiled at them all—happy, carefree and innocent—then there was a barely audible pop and Harry James Potter disappeared.

* * *

The uproar took a moment to happen.

It didn't take long for Hermione to dash across the yard to where Harry had been sitting with some of their other Hogwarts friends, the Patil twins, Luna Lovegood, Seamus, Dean and Ginny. The other Weasleys had taken up an entire table with Ginny spilling over along with Bill and Fleur. Harry had just picked their table and struck up a conversation.

Now that Hermione was close enough to examine his chair, she saw that he'd cleaned his plate and removed his magical signature. Her stomach twisted and churned as she remembered the awful fight and the odd smile on his face when he'd privately shared that he intended to keep the Elder Wand.

Ron had been speechless to argue, because the look on Harry's face at that point had even shut up Hermione. She'd seen something there that had only lurked in shadows before.

The rest of their mismatched, surviving family did not handle the disappearance very well. Remus was torn between comforting him and an emotional Tonks, cradling a sleeping Teddy in her arms.

Hermione bit her lip and sank down in the grass, tangling her fingers among the green strands. She tried to think back to walking through the crowded hospital wing and remembering the pale faces and still forms. She was almost sure that some of the faces at the tables today had passed beneath Death's shadow, yet here they were. At first, she'd thought that perhaps Harry had done something-after all, he had insisted on keeping the Elder Wand and refused to say why or what he would do with it.

Not wanting to nag him, she'd reluctantly shut her mouth. But last night, she'd heard Harry cry himself to sleep, rocking back and forth, his head clutched in his hands.

She'd caught a few muttered phrases of "I'm sorry" and "it's my price to pay" before he'd literally pulled himself together, wiped away the tears and emotions, then presented himself as the calm individual who had just given such a startling announcement only minutes ago. It wasn't the first time she'd seen him put himself together, what they'd lived through was something that children shouldn't have had to spearhead.

Oh, but Harry! She'd felt as if he were building up to something for weeks, but in the rush to find the horocruxes and such, she hadn't been able to focus on such subtle nuances. He'd seemed fine. Ron hadn't. She'd had to focus to keep them all together.

Now she wished she had.

Ron came to stand behind her and after a moment, he knelt in the grass beside her, cautiously taking one of her hands in his. "H-he's not coming back, is he?" He asked, his voice small and young.

Hermione turned to bury her face in his nearby shoulder. She shook her head, once. Her heart could cry yes, but her logical mind knew the truth. "No, Ron. I don't think he is."

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******A/N: **This is one of my new stories that I came up with while traveling, after receiving a PM asking if I could write a Dom!Harry, but with a different creature type. I'm going to try my hand at it and see where it ends up. Like my other stories, this will not have a specific update schedule, just whenever I have the time to write and post a chapter. I don't think it'll be too long, as I have an ending in sight. Features a Dom!Harry and a lot of unusual OC-ish lovers of sort of canon-characters? 

**We'll mostly be spending time with Harry though, so don't worry about the rest of the characters here. Yes, some of them like Remus, Tonks and Fred are alive, 'cause I don't want them dead. lol. This story will be a sweet, fluffy type of romance, with a very kind and playful Dom!Harry. Enjoy the madness!This is just for fun. Thanks for reading!~Scion**


	2. The Mirror of Erised

**See chapter one for warnings/disclaimers/summaries, etc. **

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**RECAP: **_Harry has just publicly announced at the victory dinner that he will be leaving. While he hasn't said why or where he will go, it is the only farewell he will leave. It's time for a new page in his book of life after Voldemort. _

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Harry swirled to a stop outside of Hogwarts and slipped through the gates the moment the castle recognized him. It transported him from outside to the upper corridors and to where the mirror of Eirsed had once been—after Dumbledore had moved it, Harry had simply gone looking for it again.

Once he'd reconciled his mind to the fact that he couldn't get his parents back, it was a nice meditation tool for helping him figure out his current mental and emotional state of mind. He could see what he wanted and how it would look around him, without having to blunder through any mistakes.

He'd learned, after discovering it a second time, that it had a personality and that if he talked to it, for a mirror that showed the heart's desires, it could be incredibly pessimistic. After something of a spat—and really, that had been awkward, because it was a mirror and he was a wizard, thank you very much—it began to consistently show him what was the worst that could happen. That little change had altered his perspective on life rather significantly.

It was also why he was back at Hogwarts and traipsing around—instead of leaving right away.

Because he would most certainly not be staying.

Not this time.

Perhaps in another life, in some alternate universe in a parallel realm or something—maybe—but not this one.

Harry walked up to the mirror and let his fingers skim across the surface. He'd wanted to do this so many times, but yet, something had always held him back. It had seemed so irresponsible and selfish to bring this single wish to life when everything else in the world was crumbling around him.

He'd had no delusions as to how far Voldemort would go—he knew that such a warped, twisted mind would never stop at conquering the magical world. So he'd given up all the little bits and bobs of happiness that he'd gathered, stashed them away as carefully as he could and risen up to do his best and let Voldemort do his worst.

He'd won.

_"Are you going to stare at me all day?"_ The mirror hummed. _"or will you set me free as you promised? You wizards always promise, but you're no less fickle than the witches." _

"I promised," Harry said, steadily. "And I always keep my word." He drew out the Elder Wand with a flourish and pointed it at the mirror. "You remember our pact?"

There was silence from the mirror for a good long minute.

Harry didn't waver.

It sighed and slowly, the silver, reflective substance rippled and formed, an image of a petite waif of a boy with armfuls of pale blond hair swimming around his feet and dwarfing his body. _"I remember,_" he said, sullenly.

Harry smirked. "Good, because I've waited just as long as you have." He tapped the mirror and whispered the spell that would reverse the mirror's transformation.

At first new magic strained against ancient magic and it wrestled valiantly, straining, twisting and pushing against each other, until Harry's true wish won out.

Harry could've sworn he heard Hogwarts chuckle as the mirror shattered and then dissolved, leaving a beautiful young man, awkwardly sprawled in puddle of very long, very blond hair, in a long white shirt and no trousers. For a moment, they stared at each other, Harry in disbelief melting away to fondness, the young man in shock, turning to desperation.

"Harry!" he cried, throwing himself forward.

A soft oomph left Harry as he caught him with an arm around the waist and another around his shoulders, pressing his head into the crook of his neck. "Eris," he whispered, stroking a hand down the magnificent, silken length of hair. "Oh Eris."

"I-I hoped and I—I hoped." Eris blubbered, full-out bawling as he clung to Harry like a leech with absolutely no chance of letting go any time soon.

A soft smile teased around Harry's lips and he kissed Eris' cheek and carefully eased them down to the ground. He knew it would take some time. He'd always done his best to come and visit whenever it could, but for Eris—at first, Harry had just been one in another long line of fleeting friendships, before time ran its course. He'd been cursed into the mirror centuries ago, because of his unique divination gifts.

"It's you, isn't it, Harry?" Eris pulled back, swiping at his face with the thin sleeves of his worn button down. "Prove it—please—just, I need to-" he tried to say.

Harry sighed. He placed on hand on each of Eris' shoulders and stared straight into the teary grey eyes, taking note of the tiny scars along his left cheek and the tiny clover-shaped birthmark on his right collarbone. Harry smiled and shook his head, slowly.

Eris froze in his lap, his gaze fixed on Harry's head as messy black hair shuddered, twitched and then produced two thick, fluffy—_tufted—_ears. They twitched and swiveled, instantly cataloguing and reacting to Harry's surroundings and perking up as they mirrored his current emotional state.

Slowly, ever so slowly, the furred ruff around Harry's neck began to appear, swelling up and out from beneath his wizarding robes and splitting the collar of his jumper. His hands remained the same, though a slight bulge in the back of his pants turned out to be a long, black tail—scaled and whippy, with a heart-shaped tip. It lashed lazily behind him, before curving around to tease at Eris' side.

Eris squeaked and flinched away from it, only for Harry to laugh and chuck him gently under the chin. When he looked up at Harry, innocent, hopeful and half-pleading, his dominant took pity and stretched down to close the gap between them.

A soft, sweet kiss of claim.

Eris sighed, happily, looping his arms around Harry's neck. He sniffled and held on, enjoying the moment for what it was.

By the time Eris had calmed down, Harry had spelled his hair into a very long, single plait and looped it over his arm a half-dozen times. "Do you want to keep it?" he asked.

Wrinkling his nose, Eris made a face. "No. It'll only weigh us down," he sighed, squeezing his eyes shut. "Cut it off."

Harry's eyebrows arched up to his hairline. "You're sure?" he cautioned. "It won't grow back overnight, unless you use a charm and charmed hair isn't the-"

"Just do it," Eris said, fisting his hands in Harry's robes.

There was a quiet huff and then Harry shifted, making a slashing motion with the wand. The lovely long length of pretty blond hair was severed, leaving a small stub of a ponytail for Eris. A flicker of magic converted the blond locks from hair into a thin, gold chain that shrunk until it had become an acceptable looking necklace.

Harry suspended it from his fingers in front of Eris' closed eyes. "How about this?"

One grey eye peeked open. Eris' jaw dropped. He wriggled in happiness when Harry clasped it around his neck, before dropping a kiss on Harry's cheek. "Thank you," he breathed. "Thank you—for everything."

Harry smiled. "I promised," he said, simply. "Come on now, up." They rose to their feet, dusting off their clothes. Harry frowned at Eris' half-clothed state. He produced spool of black thread from one trouser pocket and wove it quickly between his fingers.

A muttered incantation produced a nice pair of fitted black trousers, perfectly sized to Eris' slim figure. He shimmied into them with a wild grin of delight, his centuries reflected only in the depth of his grey eyes.

"Time to go," Harry coaxed, when Eris continued to fuss over the black shirt that had been produced as well. A shirt that fit him properly without falling past his hands and swallowing him up inside.

"Already?" there was a slight whine to Eris' voice as he placed his hands on his hips, craning his neck to see over one shoulder.

"Eris," Harry said, firmly. "You aren't the only one I've got to get tonight. We're leaving—all of us."

Eris chewed on his lower lip for a moment. "Everyone?" he asked, his voice small once more.

Harry turned back from the door, where he waited. He held out a hand. "You will all be special to me in your own ways," he said, knowingly. "I don't pick favorites."

Eris made a sound in his throat, but shuffled forward. He squeaked when shoes were spelled onto his bare feet and shot an accusing look at Harry. "I like being barefoot."

"You won't like it when we're in the Forbidden Forest," Harry said, calmly. "Anything else you need from here?"

Eris ducked under Harry's arm, stepping out into the halls of Hogwarts for the first time on his own two feet. "No," he said, softly. "I have everything I need."

Harry's ears perked up and he chuckled, draping an arm over Eris' shoulders, he started forward, ignoring Eris' start when his tail curled around the blond's waist. "I'm glad to hear it," he murmured.

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******A/N: No, I am not telling you what Harry is as yet. But you're welcome to take a guess. I also have an explanation for how he got that way. LOL. How do you like Eris? Guess who is next? It's going to be a fun, fluffy ride.**** Enjoy the madness and thanks for reading!~Scion**


	3. The Chamber of Secrets

**See chapter one for warnings/disclaimers/summaries, etc. *Italics are for parseltongue. **

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**RECAP: **_Harry has just publicly announced at the victory dinner that he will be leaving and snuck off to Hogwarts to rescue his lover. After freeing Eris, who was trapped as the Mirror of Erised, Harry prepares to retrieve his next lover. _

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In the Chamber of Secrets, Harry put two fingers to his lips and whistled long and loud. This would call to him the legendary reptile—the fearsome Basilisk. Eris huddled behind him, holding handfuls of Harry's thick, black cloak in hand, eyes shut tight to the dreary, watery surroundings.

The shrill sound of Harry's piercing whistle echoed eerily in the underground chamber.

"Ow," Eris whined, looking as if he'd like to cover his ears—but not wanting to let go of Harry. "I'm sure everyone heard that."

"She's a deep sleeper," Harry countered. He rubbed the arm with the phantom pain of a wound that was no longer life-threatening. "And these pipes are quite long. She could be a ways off."

"Why can't she meet us at the top—in a pipe?" Eris wrinkled his nose again as they made their way down to the main walkway of the chamber. "This place stinks."

"You could have waited at the top," Harry reminded him, patiently. "And your storage room was dusty. You're in no position to talk."

"By myself?" Eris said, offended. "And it wasn't as if I could clean, I was stuck in there for years and years."

Harry bit back a chuckle. It had been far longer than mere years, but he was glad that Eris wasn't focusing on the actual length of time. He'd tried to release him from the mirror sooner, but fate had a way of meddling in his life. "Basil?" he called out. "Basil, are you there? It's me, Harry."

_Hhhhhharrrrrryyyyyyyy_….

The long whispery hiss filled the entire chamber and a rich, powerful tendril of magic stretched out to fill the air. It was thick and lazy, moving as if there was no reason in all the realms to rush—unless there was a problem somewhere.

Eris flinched and pressed himself against Harry. He'd heard tales of this creature and he'd been terrified when Harry had told him about the entire adventure. He'd also begged Harry not to venture into the Chamber, but Harry was Harry and things had a way of happening to Harry.

"I-is that—it?" Eris licked his lips. He heard something slither closer and didn't dare turn to see what it was. The hairs on his arms stood up on end and he gulped.

Harry patted his head, before turning at once in the direction of the sound, his face alight with joy. "_Basil,_" he crooned in parseltongue—grateful the rare gift had stayed. He hadn't made it public knowledge.

The massive Basilisk slithered up to her guests in a graceful swirl, stretching down to examine Harry with a huffing, fanged laugh. She butted him gently in the head when he placed a hand on her scaled cheek, touching their faces together, in spite of her massive size.

"Basil!" Harry called up to her. "I've come for you."

_Mmmmmmiiiisssssssssed yyyooouuuuu…_ she lisped.

Harry grinned, craning his neck back to stare up at her. "You look well," he praised. "I missed you too."

She scented the air, eyes growing wide. She had only focused on Harry and so she'd missed the little detail of a second guest in her private living space. _Yyyyoooouuuu brrrougghtttt ggguessssstt?_

"Yes I did. Stop scaring him and stay still so I can help you with the transformation," Harry scolded. "We don't have much time."

Basil huffed again, but obediently held herself still.

Pointing the Elder Wand, Harry muttered the incantation. There was a brilliant flash of green light and then the massive creature began to shrink and twist, growing appendages where there were once none and turning serpentine features a little more human.

Eris was rudely jolted from his little spot of safety when Harry whisked off his overcloak and immediately draped it over the naked form huddled at his feet. He blushed a healthy shade of pink, averting his eyes before the girl could notice.

Harry dropped to a crouch beside Basil, stroking her soaking wet, brown-sugar hair and smiling down at her pale green face with fathomless black eyes and, nearly transparent scales of white and cream speckled along her entire body.

"_A-am I beautiful?_" she asked, in parseltongue. It was awkward to twist her forked tongue into such words that felt so natural in her true form.

Harry tipped her chin up and kissed her button nose, before chastely kissing her lips. She tasted of sea water and ice. "_The most beautiful basilisk of all,_" he praised. "_My Basil._"

She lurched forward, throwing her arms around his neck, burying her damp fingers in his warm, furred ruff and crying in happiness. "_Harry. Harry. Harry_." She chanted. "_My Harry._" The cloak just about dwarfed her, but the movement of her arms and flared the fabric out around her.

Harry chuckled, arranging the cloak around her to better cover her bare form. He could transfigure it, but he could also simply snatch some clothes when they were topside again. He liked this particular cloak. It had been a gift he'd found in his parent's vaults. It wouldn't be a problem to transfigure a few things, but he'd always thought that he'd let his girls wear real clothes-that were made and not magically called into existence because he hadn't prepared ahead of time. Yes. He would definitely see about finding clothes when they were topside. "_Can you stand? How are your feet?_"

"_Weird._" She answered, truthfully. "_Do I have to use them?_"

Harry chuckled and pulled away from her embrace. He turned around and wiggled his hands, offering a temporary piggy back to their next destination. He'd already discreetly cast a featherlight charm. It wouldn't be the slightest imposition and this way, he could use a sticking charm, if necessary and still have his hands free.

Basil erupted in a flurry of happy hisses and sounds that shouldn't have come from such a human-looking mouth, but she readily hopped on, locking her legs around his waist—as best as she could—and her arms around his neck once more.

Harry's tail flicked lazily from side to side, smacking against Eris, before wrapping around one of his wrists in reassurance. Eris whimpered.

"This is Eris," Harry added, standing up to his full height, having checked that she was secure. He nodded to the pouting blond, giving his tail a slight tug to urge him forward. "He likes you better in this form, I think."

Eris blushed from pink to red at the tips of his ears, and he muttered a hello, grey eyes swiftly averted.

Basil grinned at him, a smile that was all pointed teeth and fangs, but softened by the true delight in her eyes. "_You're the mirror, aren't you? You're the mirror! I have wanted to meet you._"

"He can't understand parseltongue, love," Harry said, quietly. "It is a gift that not many have. But you'll learn to speak his language in time." He looked at Eris. "She's very happy to meet you and wants to know if you're the mirror boy." He chuckled. "He is, Basil, he is."

"How are we going to get out of here?" Eris wanted to know. He trailed beside Harry, content to be led by the tail wrapped around his wrist, as he clutched the edge of Harry's jumper. He was no longer worried or afraid, now that he could see what Harry had come for. Basil was peeking down at him from her perch, her smile shy and Eris puffed up with pride. They could be friends—maybe.

"Getting out of here?" Harry's smile morphed into a smirk. "Ah, Eris—that's the easy part."

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******A/N: Hey everyone! I'm glad you're enjoying this little fic-and that everyone liked Eris. he's a darling little thing and I can't wait to write more of him. He's definitely a bit more needy at times, but being trapped as a mirror for so long, can do that to a person. How did you like Basil? Did you see that one coming? There were some great guesses as to what Harry is, but I'm still not telling until I get a little further into the story-I will say that a few came pretty close though. Any guesses for who's next? :P**** Enjoy the madness and thanks for reading!~Scion**


	4. The Headmaster's Familiar

**See chapter one for warnings/disclaimers/summaries, etc. *Italics are for parseltongue. **

* * *

**RECAP: **_Harry has just publicly announced at the victory dinner that he will be leaving and snuck off to Hogwarts to rescue his lover. After freeing Eris, who was trapped as the Mirror of Erised, and Basil, the playful basilisk from the Chamber of Secrets, Harry prepares to retrieve his next lover. _

* * *

"Fawkes? Could you lend a hand, please?" Harry spoke clearly and with authority.

There was no answer for a good minute or two and then a brilliant, scarlet-plume flashed before their faces, before the Phoenix in question materialized before them.

Basil squeezed Harry's neck a little tighter, but didn't speak, only watching with her dark eyes as the Phoenix flapped his gorgeous wings, hovering beautifully in front of them.

"Grab ahold of me," Harry instructed Eris. "And don't let go." He waited as Eris scooted around to stand in front and after a moment, nudged him, so that Eris was standing on his foot. A wandless featherlight charm also insured that he'd be comfortable, as Eris carefully held on.

Harry reached out and grasped the long, gorgeous tail feathers with one hand, just as Fawkes took flight with a powerful beat of his scarlet-plumed wings. They soared up and out to stand in Myrtle's bathroom once more, aided by flashes of phoenix-fire.

Harry released his hold on the tailfeathers at once and checked Eris, then Basil, who was nearly half-choking him with the sudden upward motion. He was fine—it wasn't the first time he was making that particular trip anyway—and managed to ease her off of his back to stand on her own, wobbly feet. "There we go, that wasn't so bad, was it now?" He soothed.

Basil clung to him, her face red and her lips in a definite pout. "I don't want to do that again," she cried.

"Me neither," Eris said, plaintively.

Fawkes shook himself all over, his feathers ruffled. He threw a dark look over one shoulder and Harry caught the expression.

He fought to keep from smiling and just barely managed. Fawkes could be touchy at times, but Harry had long-since learned to read his moods and the reasons behind them. The phoenix had likely felt abandoned and frustrated, which often resulted in a relapse of less-than-stellar behavior. Harry was sure that he'd have his work cut out for him, keeping track of his growing harem of sorts.

"Fawkes, behave," Harry said, sternly. "And change back. It's been forever and a day since I've seen you properly." He turned to tend to his two lovers, cuddling them both close for a moment, before bestowing a kiss upon each pouting mouth. "It wasn't so bad," he soothed. "It was quicker than all of that walking and you know we have to hurry."

He'd traveled by Fawkes' flash before and it had most definitely been much smoother than that, but he wasn't about to mention such a detail in front of the other two. Whatever was bothering his Phoenix, he'd deal with it when it was just to two of them. They all deserved to have some privacy and what few secrets kept their dignity intact. He would never take that from them.

Harry turned to cast a look over one shoulder, checking to see if Fawkes had made any progress at all. He perked a brow, meaningfully. He would not make his request again and he didn't like being ignored.

Eris sniffled, relaxing somewhat when Basil decided to hug him along with Harry. He pinked, faintly, but after a moment, rubbed his cheek against her shoulder and sighed. He'd been scared to death to think of meeting her—after hearing about Harry's harrowing adventures when she'd been under that horrid imperious spell. But now he could see—as he often did—that Harry's strong, kind heart had looked past the outward appearance and seen something beautiful inside. He was glad that Harry had opted to save her instead of kill her.

Basil made a soft hissing sound in answer to his sigh and snuggled closer, seeking the warmth that came with him. Her body would always be sensitive to cold and even though she'd lived in the pipes and the freezing cold Chamber of Secrets for so long.

Leaving them to each other, Harry turned around to fully face Fawkes. He crossed his arms over his chest and tapped a foot, the picture of tempered impatience as the change he'd requested finally happened.

The brilliant, colorful wings stretched out to their full wingspan and fluttered, before magic of a lovely, crimson shade began to wisp and swirl around each appendage. Wings became arms and the large beak recede into a thin, narrow face, while the elegant plumage became a mixture of tri-color hair and soft feathers all twined together. From the crown of his head to well past his waist, Fawkes' hair was several shades of red, orange and yellow—crimson, sunset and marigold.

Unlike the others, Fawkes appeared fully clothed. It was a smart suit of stark black and crisp white, lending credence to his golden skin and black eyes. Shiny booted feet gleamed, adding to the imposing image as Fawkes' scowl completed the barely tempered aura. He had one hand shoved into his trouser pocket and the other holding a thin, rolled cigarette in hand.

He appeared far older than any of the others and when he felt Harry's gaze on him, he met the brilliant gaze squarely.

"What are you doing?" Harry sighed. "You know that I would have come to you sooner if I could. Fate enjoys toying with my strand of life." He pinched the offending thing from Fawkes' fingers and banished it at once. "You told me you quit."

"…I did."

"Oh?"

Fawkes' shoulders hunched halfway up to his ears and the feathers mixed into his hair, seemed to bunch together, as if ruffled.

"I thought so," Harry said, matter-of-factly. "What did I tell you about that?"

Fawkes leaned away, looking down his nose at Harry, taking advantage of the height difference. "That you don't like it?" He snorted. "There's many things that we don't like, but we don't always have the opportunity to-"

"It's a nasty, disgusting habit and it will kill you," Harry snapped. "Just because you have a bit more magic in you than others, doesn't mean your life is automatically extended because of your ability to reincarnate yourself once a month." He held out a hand. "The rest of them?"

Fawkes eyed him for a moment and then the bravado faded. His shoulders slumped and his feathers went limp. He didn't protest when Harry dug out the rest from his pocket and incinerated them on the spot. He'd expected as much, if he'd lived past the terrible war-and if Harry had survived as well.

Harry perked a brow.

Fawkes huffed, but he knew what Harry was waiting for. He struggled inwardly for a few moments, before instinct took over and he simply couldn't help it. When he opened his mouth, a sad trill filled the hallway.

Harry sighed and reached for him with both hands. He hugged the taller figure to him and stroked a hand through those tri-colored locks, a mixture of feathers and silky strands. "I don't want to see that again," he murmured into Fawkes' ear. "You are important to me. I care about you. I love you. I have survived and _bargained _ with Death to be here _with_ you, please don't rush into her arms because you're unhappy with me."

Two hot tears sizzled down Harry's neck. He muffed the sound of surprise in Fawkes' shoulder as the unexpected healing coursed through him. His magic surged to the surface at once, soaking up every single available benefit it could from two fresh Phoenix tears.

They stood there, wrapped around each other for another long moment, before Harry kissed his cheek and gently stepped back. "We have to get the others," he said, a touch of regret in his voice. "As much as I cannot wait to spend time with all of you, time is the one thing that we still do not have to spend as we like."

Fawkes sighed and nodded. He cracked his neck to the side, keeping his head at the odd angle. "Who are we picking up next?"

"Who?" Harry echoed, a mysterious smile settling on his face. "Why Fawkes, my dear, surely you already know?"

* * *

******A/N: Hey everyone! I'm glad folks liked Basil. She was fun and cute to write and apparently she will get along quite nicely with Eris, so hurray for that! Less stress for Harry, LOL. Anyway, onto the next chapter. Here we go for lover #3! Congrats to daithi4377 and the anon "n" who guessed Fawkes. Good job, guys! **

******As before, y'all are welcome to offer any guesses for who's next. :P**** Enjoy the madness and thanks for reading!~Scion**


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